Abstract
BackgroundCurcumin is a natural product that is often explored by patients with cancer. Weight loss due to fat and muscle depletion is a hallmark of pancreatic cancer and is associated with worse outcomes. Studies of curcumin's effects on muscularity show conflicting results in animal models.Methods and resultsRetrospective matched 1:2 case-control study to evaluate the effects of curcumin on body composition (determined by computerized tomography) of 66 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (22 treated,44 controls). Average age (SEM) was 63(1.8) years, 30/66(45%) women, median number of prior therapies was 2, median (IQR) time from advanced pancreatic cancer diagnosis to baseline image was 7(2-13.5) months (p>0.2, all variables). All patients lost weight (3.3% and 1.3%, treated vs. control, p=0.13). Treated patients lost more muscle (median [IQR] percent change −4.8[−9.1,-0.1] vs. −0.05%[−4.2, 2.6] in controls,p<0.001) and fat (median [IQR] percent change −6.8%[−15,-0.6] vs. −4.0%[−7.6, 1.3] in controls,p=0.04). Subcutaneous fat was more affected in the treated patients. Sarcopenic patients treated with curcumin(n=15) had survival of 169(115-223) days vs. 299(229-369) sarcopenic controls(p=0.024). No survival difference was found amongst non-sarcopenic patients.ConclusionsPatients with advanced pancreatic cancer treated with curcumin showed significantly greater loss of subcutaneous fat and muscle than matched untreated controls.
Highlights
Cancer cachexia is “a multi-factorial syndrome defined by an ongoing loss of skeletal muscle mass that cannot be fully reversed by conventional nutritional support and leads to progressive functional impairment
Retrospective matched 1:2 case-control study to evaluate the effects of curcumin on body composition of 66 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (22 treated,44 controls)
Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer treated with curcumin showed significantly greater loss of subcutaneous fat and muscle than matched untreated controls
Summary
Cancer cachexia is “a multi-factorial syndrome defined by an ongoing loss of skeletal muscle mass (with or without loss of fat mass) that cannot be fully reversed by conventional nutritional support and leads to progressive functional impairment. Loss of body mass during the cancer trajectory has been associated with worse outcomes such as decreased survival in patients with pancreatic cancer, loss of physical strength, and poorer response to therapy [3, 6,7,8,9]. There is a dearth of effective interventions to treat cancer cachexia, and several approaches are currently being researched. Since inflammation is thought to have a pivotal role in the genesis of cancer cachexia [11], agents that target inflammatory pathways are of special interest. It is a popular natural product that is of interest to many patients with cancer. Curcumin is a natural product that is often explored by patients with cancer. Weight loss due to fat and muscle depletion is a hallmark of pancreatic cancer and is associated with worse outcomes. Studies of curcumin’s effects on muscularity show conflicting results in animal models
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